


Things we lost in the fire

by badcyclop



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Leo Needs a Hug, Mark of Athena, Nightmare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-27 03:12:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16210190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badcyclop/pseuds/badcyclop
Summary: Leo has a bad dreamOne shot - taking place in Mark of Athena





	Things we lost in the fire

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by a Supernatural episode called "Dream a little dream of me" (3x10). Some of the dialogue is from this episode. 
> 
> I originally posted this on fanfiction.net in 2013, but I decided to rewrite it and adjust a couple of things (like the grammar). It's still not perfect and English is not my first language.

When Leo finally fell asleep, he was dreaming.

He recognized the room he was in. It was his old room. The room he had lived in, when his mother was still alive. Nothing had changed. All of his toys were sprawled across the floor. On his nightstand stood a picture of him and his mom. They were smiling and hugging each other. 

At his old desk he suddenly noticed a silhouette sitting by the table, switching the light on and off. Suddenly the fear kicked in. Is it Gaea? Has she brought him here to taunt him?

"Hello?" he finally says. Hating how weak his voice sounds.

The person sitting in the chair turns around. It's himself. "Hey Leo," the other Leo says. "We need to talk."

Leo is confused. The person looks exactly like him. But he manages to pull himself together. It's just a dream, he tells himself. Demigods have weird dreams all the time.

"I get it. I'm my own worst nightmare, is that it?" he asks. 

"Joke all you want, smart ass," the other Leo says. "But you can't lie to me. I know the truth. I know how you feel. I know how you can look into a mirror and hate what you see."

Leo stares at his twin for a minute at loss for words. 

"Sorry pal," he finally says, "it's not gonna work. You're not real." 

"Sure I am," his double says, "I'm you" 

"I don't think so. All I gotta do is wake up, and you'll be gone. This is all just a dream." Leo is very aware of the double, but he's still sitting in the chair, vaguely non-threatening in despite of the circumstances. The door is to the double's left. He glances in the direction, but the other Leo catches his eye movement towards the door. 

"I'm not going anywhere," the double says, "and neither are you. " The door next to them slams shuts and locks. "Like I said. We need to talk.  
You will always be the outsider. You're always alone. And your friends don't even notice," twin Leo continues, "You know very well what Nemesis said. And you know it's true. You are the seventh wheel. You will never belong. "

"Wake up, Leo, come on, wake up!" Leo desperately murmurs to himself. 

"I mean, after all you got nothing outside of your machines. You are nothing. You're just a pawn on a chessboard. The only reason Hera chose you was because of the ship. That's the only useful thing you have accomplished during this whole quest. Besides building the machines, you have been useless." The last word stings, but Leo tries not to let it show. 

"That's not true," he interferes. But he has lost his confidence. The things his double is saying are getting to him. 

"I know how you think. I know your limits. Remember? You are small and alone. You need your friends to protect you. Without them you are nothing," he spits, "All there is: 'build us some useful machines'. 'Make sure the ship is functioning'. 'Know your place, boy!'"

"Just shut up," he is getting more and more upset.

"I mean, think about it. All they ever do is boss you around. Make you work for them. You are nothing to them besides being their little repair boy." 

"I mean it, I'm getting angry"

"You killed your own mother. And your father left you. He doesn't care whether you live or die, why should you?"

Leo finally snaps and shoves the other Leo against the wall whilst screaming: "Shut up! Shut up! I didn't kill mama, Gaea did! I was just a kid! All that shit in my life, that was her crap! And Hera's crap! They ruined my life! I was perfectly happy, before they came along.  
And dad... Dad was the one who couldn't protect his own family, the one who let mama die. Who wasn't there when I needed him. That was his crap. I was the only one. I was alone. I don't deserve what was put on me, and I don't deserve to be left behind, so go to Tartarus! "

He blasts his double with a wave of fire. He's breathing heavily, tears streaming down his cheeks, but he doesn't care.

He approaches the burned body now lying on the floor. The fire starts catching around the corpse, when suddenly the brown eyes snap open again. "You can't escape me, Leo" the twin says sitting up. "You'll never be accepted. You'll always be alone!"

Suddenly Leo jolts awake. He is sweating and breathing heavily. It was just a dream. A stupid nightmare. But he can't help feeling terrible. The things his double said were true. Nemesis was right. He doesn't belong.


End file.
